View full size(AP Photo/Office of U.S. District Judge Martin L.C. Feldman)Judge Martin Feldman, who overturned a six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling imposed after the Gulf oil spill, refused Thursday to put his ruling on hold while the government appeals.

NEW ORLEANS -- A federal judge who overturned a six-month
moratorium on deepwater drilling imposed after the Gulf oil spill
refused Thursday to put his ruling on hold while the government appeals.

The
Justice Department had asked U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman to
delay his ruling until the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New
Orleans can review it. Feldman rejected that request Thursday.

On
Tuesday, he struck down the Interior Department's moratorium that halted
approval of new permits for deepwater projects and suspended drilling
on 33 exploratory wells. Feldman concluded the government simply assumed
that because one deepwater rig went up in flames, others were dangerous
too.

The moratorium was imposed after the offshore oil rig
Deepwater Horizon exploded April 20, killing 11 workers. Oil has been
gushing from the blown-out well ever since.

The Justice Department
said in court papers that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has instructed
all employees not to enforce the moratorium. Rig operators are getting
letters that say suspension notices they received have no legal effect
right now.

But the Justice Department argues that delaying
Feldman's ruling would eliminate the risk of another drilling accident
while new safety equipment standards and procedures are considered.

Feldman
had agreed to hold an emergency hearing by phone Thursday on a motion
filed by several oilfield service companies who say the Obama
administration is ignoring his ruling.

But the judge informed
attorneys only minutes before the call that he would rule without
hearing oral arguments. The hearing would not have been open to the
public.

Separately, a number of environmental groups asked the
court to release additional information about Feldman's financial
interests.

The judge's financial disclosure report for 2008, the
most recent available, shows holdings in at least eight petroleum
companies or funds that invest in them, including Transocean Ltd., which
owned the Deepwater Horizon. The report shows most of his holdings were
valued at less than $15,000; it did not provide specific amounts.

The
environmental groups want to know whether Feldman has a financial
interest that could be substantially affected by the outcome of the
proceeding. If so, he could be forced to disqualify himself from the
case.

Feldman said in a court filing Thursday that his most recent
financial disclosure report will be released by the federal courts'
administrative office "as soon as their security protocol on the release
of (the report) has been satisfied."

Gov. Bobby Jindal, at a
rally against the moratorium in Houma, La., on Thursday, read from
Feldman's ruling and called it a "rare instance" of common sense from a
federal official.